kick back

kick back

1. verb To recoil, as of a gun that has been fired. If you're not careful, that rifle will bruise your shoulder when it kicks back.

2. verb To relax, typically by reclining and/or engaging in a sedentary activity. Often used in the phrase "kick back and relax." After a long day of yardwork, I love to kick back and relax on a lawn chair with a tall glass of lemonade.I like going to the movies, but I prefer kicking back with a good book at home.

3. noun A percentage of a profit paid to someone who facilitated the profit, typically through illegal means, such as using a government position to ease restrictions on a business deal. In this usage, the phrase is often hyphenated or written as one word. The politician was receiving kickbacks for years, and now the full extent of his corruption has been revealed.

4. noun The recoil of a gun. In this usage, the phrase is often hyphenated or written as one word. Careful, that rifle's got a heck of a kickback.

kick back

1. To return something by kicking it: I'll roll the ball to you, and then you kick it back. The goalie kicked back the soccer ball.

2. To recoil unexpectedly and violently: Be careful with that power saw—if it kicks back, you could be badly injured. Hold the rifle tightly—otherwise it will kick back and bruise your shoulder.

3. To relax, especially by resting: I was too tired to work last night, so I just kicked back at home and watched TV.

4. Slang To pay someone in return for an illegal favor: The corrupt official kicked $1,000 back to the politicians who helped him get the grant money. If you can kick back some of your profits, I'll make sure you win that contract.

Trainer Mark Brisbourne, who also notched two winners, said: 'I think it will take a few months to settle, but the kick-back is like snow and horses are not coughing after races like they did on the sand.

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